Head of Project Finance (Nature Restoration)

Founding Project Finance Lead

We are building a pioneering nature restoration investment vehicle dedicated to scaling high-integrity ecological assets across the UK. Our business model treats nature as critical infrastructure blending traditional investment principles with emerging capital models to unlock self-sustaining nature restoration projects via income from ecosystem services (e.g. carbon credits, BNG units and natural flood management). We have built a pipeline of investments and now is the time to bring in a head of PF to execute.

Lapwing Common’s founder is an experienced entrepreneur and financier. We have established our initial pipeline and partnerships. Now, we need our foundational financial architect to help us design the institutional-grade models for our projects.

Your Mission

• Lead the first investments: Partner directly with the founder to package our company vision and build the corporate financial model.
• Draft project models: Build sophisticated, multi-variable project finance models (NPV, IRR, cash flow) mapping long-term ecological returns.
• Stack revenues: Design frameworks that legally combine blended revenue streams - such as carbon credits, BNG unit sales and NFM outcome-linked contracts.
• Manage risk metrics: Simulate asset performance to optimise debt sizing and monitor project-level viability (e.g., DSCR).
• Negotiate deal structures: Structuring long-term joint ventures and flexible commercial agreements with UK landowners, tenants, and institutional buyers.

What we are looking for

• The blueprint: Practical experience in project finance, infrastructure banking, renewable energy modeling or environmental impact investing.
• Impact motivation: passion for nature and impact investing - financial returns and impact returns
• UK market fluent: A strong understanding of (or desire to master) the UK environmental regulatory landscape, specifically Defra guidelines, the Environment Act 2021, and emerging green finance mechanisms.
• Data mastery: Elite Excel/financial modeling skills to build clean, auditable models from scratch without a template.
• Start-up mindset: You excel in ambiguity and possess the grit required to build a project finance function from zero.

Compensation 

This is a foundational, equity-eligible hire. Compensation will be tailored to experience level and chosen arrangement with early-stage stock options to a senior co-founding equity structure for seasoned infrastructure finance operators.

Job type

While listed as Full-Time, we are highly flexible for the right candidate. We welcome applications from individuals looking to start on a part-time or fractional basis to help us close our first investments, with a clear, agreed pathway to transition into a full-time executive as we scale.